Christmas escape: 10-day Cairo adventure with Nile voyage and Red Sea retreat

Marsa Alam tour specialists will greet and assist you at Cairo International Airport with complimentary hotel transfer by private air-conditioned vehicle. Your evening is yours to relax at your accommodation.
Evening plans depend on your flight timing. For early arrivals, inquire about optional afternoon exploration opportunities.

Depart your hotel in Cairo with an expert Egyptologist guide for a memorable morning. Journey to the majestic Pyramids of Giza ( Khufu , Khafre , and Menkaure ). Marvel at the magnificent Great Sphinx, its limestone countenance gazing across millennia, and visit the Valley Temple with its storied architecture. A traditional Giza restaurant provides authentic local cuisine for lunch. Afterwards, explore the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square.
The museum houses an extraordinary collection exceeding 250,000 genuine pieces spanning 5,000 years of civilization, with a dedicated wing showcasing Tutankhamun's burial treasures—precious metals, gemstones, and artifacts preserved within his tomb for 3,500 years until its 1920 discovery.

For royal mummies gallery access, request this supplement through your guide at an additional 200 Egyptian Pounds via the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.

Transfer from Aswan railway station to your awaiting cruise vessel for embarkation and midday dining. Explore Aswan's treasures including the magnificent Philae Temple and leisurely felucca sailboat journey around Elephantine Island, the dramatic High Dam, and the Unfinished Obelisk. Philae Temple: Erected to venerate goddess Isis, this architectural masterpiece represents the final temple constructed in classical Egyptian tradition. Building commenced circa 690 BCE, serving as a sacred centre for Isis worship until the Ptolemaic era. The High Dam: Aswan's engineering marvel, constructed from 1960–1968 at Egypt's northern Sudan boundary, creates the vast Lake Nasser reservoir. Officially opened in 1971. The Unfinished Obelisk: Aswan's granite quarries supplied ancient Egypt's most prized stone for statuary and temple ornamentation. The imposing 42-metre unfinished obelisk reveals ancient quarrying methods; weighing 1,168 tonnes when complete, it would have been Egypt's heaviest-cut stone.
Traditional lunch follows boat activities. At 16:00, experience a serene felucca excursion circling Elephantine Island with optional visits to authentic Nubian villages—2-hour immersive cultural encounters showcasing colourful dwellings, artisan crafts, and genuine Nubian heritage.
Dinner and overnight accommodation aboard the cruise vessel.

Breakfast and lunch served on the cruise. Early morning departure to Abu Simbel from Aswan. Abu Simbel Temples: Two monumental sanctuaries carved from mountainside on the Nile's west bank between 1274 and 1244 BCE. The Great Temple honours Ramesses II, Ra-Harakhty, Amun Ra, and Ptah, featuring four towering colossal statues. The smaller temple venerates Queen Nefertari and goddess Hathor. Both temples underwent stone-by-stone dismantling and relocation to higher ground—an unprecedented UNESCO preservation triumph. Lunch at 13:00 aboard the cruise. Set sail toward Kom Ombo. Kom Ombo Temple: Situated 40 km north of Aswan, this Ptolemaic-Roman structure (332 BCE–395 CE) honours deities Sobek and Horus with distinctive twin sanctuaries reflecting dual-god veneration. Sail onward to Edfu for evening arrival. Dinner and overnight aboard the cruise ship.
Galabiya Evening Celebration—traditional dress festivity.

Breakfast aboard the Nile cruise ship. Depart around 08:00 via horse-drawn carriage for Edfu Temple. Edfu Temple: Upper Egypt's finest-preserved structure, dedicated to hawk-deity Horus. Founded during Ptolemaic times (246 BCE) atop an earlier sacred site, its walls recount the mythological Contending of Horus and Seth—likely performed annually as religious pageantry. Return to ship approximately 10:00. Midday cruise dining. At 10:30, navigate toward Luxor via the Esna Lock waterway. Arrive in Luxor at 18:00 for Luxor Temple visits. Luxor Temple: Predominantly constructed under New Kingdom pharaoh Amenhotep III, completed by Tutankhamun and Ramesses II. Ramesses II's monumental first pylon displays his victorious Kadesh military campaign in carved relief.
Dinner and overnight aboard cruise. Optional evening: Sound and Light performance at Karnak Temple—spectral illuminations narrating ancient temple history (40 USD per person).

Optional early-morning hot-air balloon flight over Valley of the Kings (80 USD per person). Breakfast aboard the Nile cruise. Explore Luxor's west bank and Karnak's spectacle. Valley of the Kings: Historically termed the Place of Truth, this isolated valley behind Deir el-Bahari shelters royal burial chambers. A pyramid-shaped peak dominates the landscape. Colossi of Memnon: Two massive statue remnants rise 18 metres from the plain, survivors of Amenhotep III's once-largest west-bank complex. Queen Hatshepsut Temple: Ascending desert terrain through terraced levels, this structure harmonizes with sheer limestone cliffs forming Egypt's most architecturally unified sacred monument. Karnak: Beyond a single temple, this sprawling complex of sanctuaries, kiosks, pylons, and obelisks celebrates Theban deities and pharaonic glory. Karnak was antiquity's most significant Theban Triad shrine (Amun, Mut, Khonsu).
Lunch during excursion. Transfer to Marsa Alam—Three Corners Fayrouz Hotel. Enjoy Red Sea resort relaxation with all-inclusive amenities.

Spend the day at leisure within the Red Sea coastal resort environment with all-inclusive facilities and amenities.

Enjoy another full day of relaxation at the beachfront Red Sea resort featuring comprehensive all-inclusive service and recreational options.

Transfer to Cairo for domestic flight connection from Hurghada to Cairo. Overnight stay at Le Meridien airport hotel.

Morning pickup from your Cairo or Giza hotel at 08:00 with a professional Egyptologist guide. Drive toward Saladin Citadel, erected by Salah al-Din on the Moqattam Hills in 1183 CE as Crusader-era fortification. Renowned for panoramic Cairo vistas and pristine mountain air, this historically preserved complex houses sacred mosques and cultural museums, notably the Mosque of Muhammad Ali Pasha. Designed by Turkish architect Yousif Boushnaq, imported from Istanbul for this monumental project, the mosque's alabaster elegance contrasts beautifully against Cairo's sandstone architecture. Enjoy authentic lunch at a traditional Old Cairo dining establishment. Subsequently, visit Old Cairo's spiritual treasures: the Hanging Church, Ben Ezra Synagogue, St. Barbara Church, and Abu Serga Church—among antiquity's most venerable Coptic sanctuaries.
Progress to Khan el-Khalili Bazaar, the Middle East's most storied marketplace. Discover Old Cairo's mercantile epicentre, continuously thriving since the fourteenth-century commercial boom. Following your enriching journey, receive final transfer to Cairo International Airport for international flight departure. Should you desire extended Cairo residence, our team welcomes inquiries.